Airline group to restore suspended services and expand fourth-quarter network to 46 cities across Asia
Bangkok: Thai AirAsia and Thai AirAsia X will resume several temporarily suspended international routes and increase flight frequencies during the fourth-quarter travel season, including the restoration of six routes connecting Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport with Indian cities.
The two Thailand-based low-cost carriers will operate direct services to up to 46 cities across 53 routes during the October-December 2026 high season, covering destinations across ASEAN and the wider Asian region.
The India network expansion comes as Thai AirAsia prepares to restore capacity that was reduced during the third quarter amid softer travel demand and higher fuel costs.
Six India routes to resume
According to AirAsia, Thai AirAsia will resume services from Don Mueang to six Indian cities on the following dates:
- Gaya: October 25, 2026
- Ahmedabad: November 6, 2026
- Guwahati: November 16, 2026
- Hyderabad: November 16, 2026
- Lucknow: November 16, 2026
- Jaipur: November 17, 2026
The routes had been temporarily suspended as part of capacity adjustments earlier in 2026. AirAsia had cited elevated aviation fuel costs and softer mid-year travel demand when announcing the reductions.
Tansita Akrarittipirom, Head of Commercial, Thai AirAsia, said the airline expects international travel demand to strengthen during the year-end peak season, supported by both outbound Thai travel and inbound tourism.
“For the Indian market in particular, Thai AirAsia will resume operations on six temporarily suspended routes,” Akrarittipirom said, adding that the airline would also restore other regional services.
46 cities across 53 routes
The combined Thai AirAsia and Thai AirAsia X network will comprise 53 direct routes serving 46 cities from Don Mueang International Airport during the 2026 winter flight schedule.
The network covers 17 cities in East Asia, including destinations in China, Japan, Taiwan and Macau; 15 cities in ASEAN; 13 cities in South Asia, including India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives; and one destination in Central Asia.
The expansion is designed to accommodate higher demand during the October-to-December travel period while restoring capacity that had been reduced earlier in the year.
Thai AirAsia X expands Japan connectivity
Thai AirAsia X will also strengthen its Don Mueang network to Japan during the fourth quarter.
The carrier will operate up to 21 weekly flights to Tokyo, up to 14 weekly flights to Osaka, up to seven weekly flights to Sapporo and four weekly flights to Nagoya. Sapporo services will resume from October 1, while Nagoya services will restart from October 2.
In addition, Thai AirAsia X will operate four weekly flights between Don Mueang and New Delhi, as well as four weekly flights to Almaty in Kazakhstan.
Regional routes also return
Beyond India, Thai AirAsia will resume the Don Mueang-Kuala Lumpur and Phuket-Siem Reap routes from October 25.
The restoration of the Phuket-Siem Reap service will strengthen the airline’s international connectivity from its Phuket hub, while Kuala Lumpur will again be linked directly with Don Mueang.
The airline said the expanded international network will also enable inbound travellers to connect with its domestic network within Thailand, which serves destinations across the country.
India remains an important market
The latest expansion builds on AirAsia Thailand’s established presence in the Indian market. The airline has previously described India as a strategically important market and has expanded its network to Indian cities beyond the country’s major metropolitan centres.
AirAsia’s earlier network announcements have included direct services from Bangkok Don Mueang to cities such as Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Bengaluru, Gaya, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, Tiruchirappalli and Hyderabad.
The renewed services from October are expected to provide additional direct capacity between Thailand and several Indian source markets during the peak travel period.
For Indian travellers, the restored services also provide access to Thai AirAsia’s broader domestic network through Don Mueang, while supporting Thailand’s inbound tourism market during the high season.
